Railway-torpedo.



No. 720,666. PATBNTED FEB. 17,1903.

' M. M. CARR.

RAILWAY TORPEDO.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. 15, 1902.

N0 MODEL.

UNITED STATES PATENTfOFFICE.

MAHLON M. CARR, or FOSTORIA, or IIo.

RAlLWAY-TORPEDO.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 720,666, dated. February 17, 1903.

Application filed December 15,1902. Serial No. 135,220. (No model-) To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, MAHLON M. CARR, a citizen of the United States, residing at Fostoria, in the county of Seneca and State of Ohio, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Railway-Torpedoes, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in a railway-torpedo, and has for its object to provide a simple and inexpensive device of the kind, the parts of which are easily assembled and secured together without danger of premature explosion, that is adapted for ready and secure attachment to a track-rail in position to be exploded by a passing train, and that is not injuriously affected by exposure torain or moisture in such position. I accomplish these objects by constructing a torpedo as hereinafter described, and illustrated in the drawings, in which Figure 1 is an isometric View of a preferred form of torpedo as secured upon a track-rail. Fig. 2 is a section through the torpedo on line X X. Fig. 3 is an isometric View of the baseplate for the same. Fig. 4 is a section through the torpedo on line Y Y of Fig. l, but showment of a sphere.

ing the cap constructed in the form of a seg- Fig. 5 is an isometric view of an elongated angular torpedo mounted on a track-rail, and Fig. 6 is an isometric view of the base-plate for the same.

In the drawings,l designates a shallow opentop box constructed of sheet'metal in which the detonating compound 2 is placed, and 3 designates a closure-cap for the box constructed of like material and having a wall 4, adapted to telescope over the Wall 5 of the box and form a close-fitting cover for the box. The wall of the cap 3 is provided with a rimflange 6,extended outwardly therefrom,which when the cap is in position on the box 1 extends around the bottom, of the box in the same plane. 7 designates-a base-plate of like material having its outer edge upturned to form a wall 8, adapted to telescopically receive the rim-flange 6 of the closure-cap, the height of the wall above the flange being equal to the width of the flange and the wall 8 being made to engage and conform to the outer edge of the flange. The wall 8 has opposite portions cut away to form the incuts 9, and

in alinement with these incuts there is formed in the'base a depression 10, extending from incut to incut across the base of the same width as the incuts and of a depth equal to the thickness of the rail-clip 11, so that when the rail-clip is placed lengthwise in the depression 10 and through the incuts 9 the top of the clip is on a level with the top side of the base, and when the box and its cap, fit- ,ted together, is telescoped within the wall of crimping arising from such unequal pressure is wholly avoided and the joints are made entirely water-tight.

Preferably the rail-clip 11 is formed of a flat metallic spring-bar having its outer end portions 12 curved toward each other and adapted to closely embrace the head 13 of a T-rail when sprung transversely thereon with the base 7 resting on the rail; but it may be formed of a pliable metallic strip adapted to be readily bent to closely engage the rail.

When the torpedo is secured to a rail, it

rests upon that portion of the base underneath the clip depression, by reason of which when acar or locomotive Wheel contacts with the torpedo the torpedo is tilted toward the wheel, forming an incline, which insures the wheel passing over the torpedo instead of pushing it along or off the track.

The torpedo may be constructed in several different forms, as shown in Figs. 4, 5, and6.

What I claim to be new is- The herein-described railway-torpedo, comprisingacase provided with fulminate, a base, and a rail-clip, the case being formed of an open-top box and a cap having an outwardlyflanged rim telescopically and closely fitted over the box with the rim-flange extending around the box in the plane of its bottom, and the base being formed with a transverse depression of a depth and Width to receive the by crimping the Wall of thebase over the flange IO rail-clip flush with the top of the base, and of the cap of the case resting on the base. with a surrounding upturned edge Wall out In Witness whereof I have hereunto set my away at the ends of the depression, said parts hand this 8th day of December, A. D. 1902.

5 being assembled with the central portions of the clip in the depression and the end portions MAHLON CARR extending from the wall-incnts, and with the Witnesses: ease mounted on the top of the base over the RAY M. LANCE, clip, and secured together as thus assembled J. R. MASON. 

